EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Florida — Residents may experience noise when the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group conducts boat operations in the Gulf of Mexico and the Choctawhatchee Bay.
Each morning, fighter aircraft will release munitions between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. Feb 2 and Feb. 6-9, approximately 20 nautical miles south of Destin in the Gulf of Mexico.
The test will be conducted within a cleared range safety area which includes boat surveillance. Notices to mariners will be issued prior to the missions and flyers will be handed out at the local marina.
In the afternoons between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., approximately 30 boats traveling in formation will transverse between the Mid-Bay Bridge and the US Highway 331 bridge, to include 10 to 20 miles south of Destin in the Gulf of Mexico.
The boat formation will be used for visual targets by military aircraft flying over the area. No weapons or ammunition will be involved with this boat formation.
Some boats will have mock-up, fake deck guns and rocket launcher tubes. The boats will also use marine flares as visual markers.
These operations are part of the 53rd Wing's Weapon System Evaluation Program.
Contact the Team Eglin Public Affairs office, 882-3931, or the 53rd Wing Public Affairs office, 882-0423, for more information.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Eglin issues noise, boat operations warning